1. Technical Field
Embodiments generally relate to transactions performed by means of a mobile telecommunication device of cell phone type.
Embodiments more specifically apply to the assessment of the resistance of such a device, further equipped with a near field communication circuit (NFC), against attacks where communication pipes between this circuit and a security module of the device are attempted to be diverted.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Cell phones are more and more often equipped with a near-field communication interface which enables them to combine electromagnetic transponder functions with mobile telephony functions. In particular, this adds functions of emulation of an electromagnetic transponder, of contactless or contactless card reader type to the mobile telecommunication device, for example a personal digital assistant, a cell phone, a smartphone, etc. This considerably enhances the features of the mobile device, which can then be used, for example, as an electronic purse, as an access or transport ticket validation device, etc.
To emulate the operation of a contactless chip card, the mobile telecommunication device is equipped with a contactless front-end integrated circuit (CLF), also called an NFC router. This router is equipped with a radio frequency (RF) transceiver front head associated with a low-range antenna to communicate like an electromagnetic transponder. The router uses the capacities of the processor(s) of the mobile device for data processing and storage operations. For access control, electronic purse, payment, and other applications, a secure element enabling to authenticate the user is used. This secure element is either integrated to the mobile telecommunication device (dedicated integrated circuit, circuit welded to the printed circuit board) or contained in a microcircuit supported by a subscriber identification module (SIM), or any other removable card, for example at the standard format of a memory card.
An NFC router may also be present in a mobile device of USB key type, in a bank teller terminal, in an adhesive device (sticker), etc.
A contactless card emulation in a mobile telecommunication device is capable of generating weak points in terms of transaction security.
It would be desirable to test the resistance of a mobile telecommunication device security module regarding such weak points.